


The Family

by redheadedbisexual



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, F/F, M/M, Star Trek AU, spirk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-03-13 10:09:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18938797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redheadedbisexual/pseuds/redheadedbisexual
Summary: What if instead of a starship crew, the Enterprise family was an actual family? (21st Century AU)Jim Kirk is a divorced stay-at-home dad who lives with his ex husband, Bones, their two sons, Pavel Chekov and Hikaru Sulu, and their old friend Scotty.





	1. Uhura

**Author's Note:**

> Please enjoy my cheesy, Full-House-esque Star Trek AU!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the sudden death of her mother in a car accident, 19 year old Uhura has no choice but to take up residence with her estranged father.

Before her mother’s funeral, Uhura had only met her dad a handful of times, and honestly, it had never really bothered her. She hadn't felt the need to connect with the man who had moved away to college when she was barely a year old and never come back for her and her mother. He did what was required of him; paid child support, sent birthday cards and Christmas presents, and a few times he had taken time out of the life he’d built without them to visit. But for the most part, he’d been a total stranger to her. Had her options been less limited, she would’ve been quite happy to let him walk out of her life forever when they parted ways after the church service. Unfortunately, she was in no way ready to brave the world on her own. At nineteen, she was barely making it through her first year of college on her mom’s meager salary and her own earnings from a part time job at the mall. Even with what little her mom had left behind, there was no way she could balance all her expenses and pay rent for her own apartment. 

So, as the guests filed into her aunt’s small house for the wake, Uhura was forced to strike up a conversation with the stranger who had fathered her. She spotted him alone at the refreshment table and came in his direction, casually piling cheese and crackers onto her plate. 

“Jim,” she said cooly, giving him a vague nod of greeting. When she’d grown old enough to fully understand how he’d abandoned her and her mother, Uhura had taken to calling her father by his first name and nothing else, much as he tried to get her to call him “Dad” or some variant.

"Uhura," he said gently. It was quite clear he was at a loss of what to say. "You know you can always call me--"

"We're not having that conversation again," Uhura sighed. "Not today."

"Uh, yeah. You're right…" he answered. Then when Uhura failed to fill the silence began an awkward attempt to comfort her. "Listen, I'm really sorry. About you mom, I mean-- I can't imagine what it must be like…"

"Well I guess you can't," she said bitterly. "Seeing as you hardly spoke to her since high school."

"Oh, I uh…" Jim stuttered.

Then, remembering her intentions, Uhura took a deep breath and tried to put her bitterness behind her. "What's done is done," she said simply. "But I um… well to be honest, I am pretty overwhelmed. I mean, it was just me and her, and now that she's gone I don't really know what I'm gonna do…"

"Oh," Jim said, only just realizing her situation. He was embarrassed it had only now crossed his mind. She was nineteen after all and Jim had naively assumed now that she was legally an adult she surely had everything figured out. Though he was dad of the year to his two sons, to poor Uhura Jim was a sad excuse for a father and he knew it well. But, here may be his chance to redeem himself. "My god, you were still living with her, weren't you? Uhura, I'm sorry. I didn't even realize… do you need somewhere to stay?"

"I've been with my aunt for the last week or so," she said and with his sympathetic expression Jim told her he knew just how overbearing her devout Catholic aunt could be. "Not sure where I'll go next."

"Well, things are pretty tight back at home. I still live with my ex, Bones--makes it easier on the kids and financially too. And there's Scotty, he's in the basement, but I guess if we moved Pavel into Hikaru's room…" he looked at Uhura cautiously, almost as though he were afraid even to pose the question for fear she would reject him. "Would you want to come live with us for a while? I know you're going to school here but, the semester's almost over and you could always transfer. There's a great University in--"

"Sure," Uhura said, much to Jim's surprise. "I mean, I haven't really got a choice," she said trying to counter his obvious excitement. 

"Great," Jim said. "That's great, Uhura." Catching the eye of an old high school friend he began to move away from her, "We can talk more later." And with that he excused himself.

Much as she despised Jim, Uhura's only alternative would be living with her mother’s sister. If her mom’s vague religiosity had bothered her, her aunt’s strict Catholic beliefs would be utterly unbearable, especially given the growing interest in women she had kept secret for years. Though she couldn’t be certain her dad would be accepting of this part of her, he wasn’t particularly religious as far as she knew, and that would be a relief.  

\---

Jim's nerves were obvious as he swayed on his feet, eagerly eyeing the passengers who filed out of the terminal. He gave a shy wave when he spotted Uhura, and she greeted him with an awkward half smile.

"Jim," she said with her usual coldness. 

"Uhura," Jim replied, mocking her tone. "Well come on then," he continued, trying to clear the air with some friendly teasing. "What are we, business partners?"

"We should get my luggage," was all Uhura replied.

"Right," Jim said. "It's this way…"

Jim was insistent on carrying the luggage for her, and on loading it himself into his beaten up station wagon once they arrived at the car. Inside this station wagon sat two boys, her half brothers. Uhura had heard her father speak of the two sons he adopted in their few interactions, but she'd never met them herself. 

"Boys, come introduce yourselves!" Jim scolded them as he loaded up the trunk. 

The younger of the two, thirteen year old Pavel Chekov, was the first to emerge from the vehicle. He smiled up at Uhura as he climbed out of the back seat and stated his name.

"Very nice to meet you," Uhura said, happily accepting his clammy handshake. He was a cute kid, she thought to herself. Though he crept up on adolescence he still had a boyish face and a certain innocence about him.

From the driver's seat came sixteen year old Hikaru Sulu, who was much less enthusiastic in his greeting. Unlike his younger brother he was evidently in the thick of his angsty teenage years.

"Hikaru's got his drivers test coming up next week," Jim explained as he slammed the trunk shut and opened the rear door for Uhura to get in. Once she was settled he climbed into the passanger seat beside Sulu.

"Alright then, what do you all want for dinner?" Jim asked as they started to drive. 

"Anything but you're cooking," Sulu said.

"Well I think we'll let our guest decide."

"You don't want his cooking," Sulu warned Uhura with a glance in her direction.

"Eyes on the road!"

Beside her in the back seat, Chekov was distracted by a game on his phone. 

"Mom, I'm hungry," he mumbled. 

"I just asked you want you wanted for dinner, Pav," Jim scolded. "Take your eyes off that phone for a second and pay attention to what's going on around you."

"He calls you mom?" Uhura observed.

"Oh they like to tease me with that sometimes. I'm the stay at home dad, always hanging around with all the soccer moms. And it does make things a little less confusing at home."

"Well, what do they call their mom?"

"Their mom?" Jim laughed. "They don't have a mom."

"Oh, I just thought you said you still lived with your ex wife…"

" _ My ex husband _ ," Jim explained.

Uhura stared at him blankly, as though judging whether he was making a joke. When he gave no indication of this she said quickly, "oh that's…"

"I thought you knew... I hope it doesn't bother you--"

"What? Oh, no, Jim of course it doesn't! I just never knew you were… you know."

"A raging bisexual?" Jim offered, trying to break the tension.

"Well that's one way to put it."

A wave of relief hit Uhura as she reasoned she would have to worry about any backlash from Jim should she ever be brave enough to bring a girl home.

\---

"Pavel, why don't you give Uhura the tour?" Jim said, knowing full well that the enthusiastic thirteen year old was the only person he could persuade to take this job.

"Oh that's alright, I can--" Uhura began, but Chekov had already seized her hand and was dragging her down the driveway. "Oh, okay…"

"I'll take your luggage up to your room," Jim called after them. 

Chekov had his priorities straight, and began their tour at the most important location of their modest home: his tree fort. He climbed the ladder into the small structure and upon reaching the top and finding Uhura still on the ground, he called down to her,

"Well? Aren't you coming?"

"Um… alright," Uhura said, cautiously ascending the ladder. She was certain Jim had built the tree fort and wasn't sure how much she trusted his construction.

When she reached the top Uhura was greeted with a lovely view of the large yard that stretched around their house and the rolling farmland beyond. She had to admit, it was a nice place Jim had, a quaint little farm house ten minutes outside of a small town. It was a perfect place to raise a family. 

"So this is the tree fort," Chekov explained. "And that there," he pointed to the jungle of plants, both flowering and produce, which occupied a good third of their backyard, "that's Hikaru's garden. I wouldn't go in there if I were you though. He  _ hates _ it when people touch his plants." 

"Noted," Uhura said with a smile. She couldn't help but take a liking to the young kid. Listening to him talk it was clear that while Sulu had lived in America long enough to lose any significant connection to his country of birth, Chekov had spent enough time in his Russian homeland before his adoption to pick up a strong accent. She noticed as well that along the walls of his tree house were various messages he had scrawled in sharpie, a mix of Russian and English script.

"And that," he said pointing to a dilapidated shed near the edge of the property. "That is Uncle Scotty's garage."

"Uncle Scotty?" Uhura asked.

"Not really our Uncle, just, you know, the kind of friend that you call an uncle. He lives in the basement."

"I see."

"He's over there now, I think. We'll go talk to him."

And three minutes later Uhura was shaking the greasy hand of the burly scotsman who introduced himself as Montgomery Scott. They had arrived in the garage to find him hidden beneath a sorry old Cadillac that Uhura reckoned was his pride and joy.

"So you're the famous Uhura," he said, looking her over.

"That would be me."

"Well, welcome to the family," he said with a knowing laugh. "I doubt you're prepared for the chaos that goes on here, but I'm sure you'll catch on quick."

"Well, I…"

"Uncle Scotty, when are you gonna let me test ride your motorbike again?" Chekov chimed in.

"Your father about had an aneurysm when he found out about the last time!"  Scotty reminded him.

"Well what he doesn't know won't kill him…" Chekov grinned.

"Maybe next time they have him on an eighteen hour shift on one of my days off," he said, quite easily swayed by the child's pitiful expression.

"Now then, don't you have a tour to finish?"

"Yes!" Chekov remembered, turning back to Uhura. "Come on, now I'll show you inside."

It was a small house really, and only just enough to accomodate them all. She never would've admitted it, but seeing the tight living quarters Uhura really was grateful Jim had been willing to make space for her. The first floor contained a cramped kitchen with a neighboring dining room that, from the looks of it, was more often used as a storage space than for its intended purpose. Then there was a sizable living room at the front of the house that double as an entryway, with a bathroom off to the side. From the living room a flight of stairs ascended to a hallway from which 3 doors opened into bedrooms that Chekov identified as belonging to Jim, Bones, and himself and Sulu. Further down the hall another bathroom was tucked into the corner beside a washer and dryer. Finally, Chekov led her up a narrow staircase to the attic.

“This used to be my room,” he explained as they climbed. “But now that you’re here I get to bunk with Hikaru. Which is fine--except that he won’t let me touch his succulents. I mean I was just trying to water them for him! How was I supposed to know you only water them like once in a million years?!”

Uhura smiled at his ramblings. She’d never had siblings to bicker with, and listening to Chekov talk she supposed this may have been both a blessing and a curse.

As they arrived in the attic Uhura was impressed with the expanse of the space. Though the ceilings were awkwardly angled, and would be quite low for anyone of significant height, overall it was a nice room, painted a pale shade of blue and recently carpeted. Seeing her eyeing the new carpet Chekov explained that Jim had put it in just a last year after spilling a gallon of paint on the old carpet while trying to repaint the room. 

“It’s nice,” she said, walking over to the bed. As promised, Jim had left her luggage stacked in the corner across from the dresser. “Have we reached the end of our tour?”

“Yeah, I think so. Oh, I could show you the basement though, where Uncle Scotty lives--” he was cut off as Jim called up the stairs to let them know dinner would be ready in ten minutes. “I can show you real quick before we eat.”

And back down the stairs they went. Before Chekov could open the basement door, however, his collar was seized from behind.

“Oh stay out of that basement, will you? That place is a damn health hazard!”

“But Dad, I’m giving Uhura the tour!” Chekov whined, turning to face his captor, a tired-looking man in disheveled ER scrubs. Noticing Uhura for the first time, his brow furrowed.

“Jim!” he called toward the kitchen. “When did we get another kid?”

"I told you at least twice, Bones!" Jim called back, frustrated. "I told you just this morning Uhura was arriving today!"

"Hmpf," Bones grumbled. Then he made a half hearted attempt to lighten his expression and came over to Uhura. "Leonard McCoy," he said, offering a handshake. "You’re Uhura I take it."

"And you must be Bones," she said pleasantly. "Good to meet you." 

\---

Ten minutes later the promise of food drew all the house occupants together, crowding in the kitchen since no one had bothered to clear the dining room table. Though Jim’s cooking was far from gourmet, it was at the very least edible, and that was enough to silence any criticism from his hungry family. Jim, Uhura, and the boys sat around the small kitchen table, while Bones and Scotty leaned against the counter with plates in hand. A few minutes in Jim interrupted the chatter to make a toast.

“To Uhura,” he said with cautious optimism. “Welcome to the family; we’re glad to have you!”

“Here, here!” Scotty seconded. 

And as they went around clinking glass Uhura blushed furiously, working very hard to hide that she was in any way pleased to be stuck in this cramped farm house with her dad and his strange family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! And if you're thinking "wait a second, we're missing one crucial member of the enterprise family", don't worry. Our boy Spock makes his entrance in the next chapter ;)


	2. Professor Spock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim goes on a tinder date with a peculiar yet attractive professor.

It was a quiet Thursday night. In the kitchen of their small farm house, Jim was absent mindedly singing his rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody while washing dishes.

“Someone ought to file a noise complaint,” Bones grumbled as he entered the room, retrieving a beer from the fridge and taking a seat at the table.

“Clearly you don’t know good music,” Jim scoffed.

“Oh I do,” Bones countered. “Well enough to know when it’s being butchered.” Before Jim could retort Bones got to the reason he had dared to venture into the kitchen. “Pavel’s got a birthday party tomorrow,” he said. “A sleepover thing. I need you to get him there, they’ve extended my hours.”

“Can’t,” Jim said smugly.

“What do you mean you can’t?”

“I’ve got plans.”

“Plans?” 

“Yes, Bones,  _ plans _ . Unlike you I actually have a social life.” 

“Like hell you do--you spend half your day embroidering obscenities onto pillows and selling them on etsy!”

“I’ll have you know I’ve made almost five hundred dollars off those pillows!”

“Dear lord, you really need to get a real job…”

“Do you really want to have that argument right now?” Jim asked him with a note of seriousness.

“No,” Bones said, and he let the matter drop. “Fine Jim, because I know you’re dying to tell me--what are these plans of yours?”

“If you must know,  _ I _ have a date.”

Bones laughed at that, for even if it weren’t a joke, he was certain the circumstances would be hilariously pathetic. “Who in their right mind would date you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I thought you gave up on going after the single moms after what happened with Karen.”

“I did,” Jim explained. “But Dianne--”

“Oh god, not Dianne,” Bones sighed, knowing that Dianne, a soccer mom Jim had befriended, was a terrible influence.

“Dianne and I made tinder accounts together last week while we were waiting for the boys to finish up at soccer practice. And  _ I  _ got a match.”

“Did you now?”

By now Jim was finished with the dishes and turned to face Bones, leaning against the counter with arms crossed. “ _ He’s an intellectual _ ,” he boasted. “A professor of uh… something… at the university.”

“That poor bastard,” Bones muttered. “You ought to let me talk some sense into him.”

“Can’t you just be happy for me, for once, Bones?”

“I never said I wasn’t. But, the issue still remains that someone has to drive Pavel to his sleepover tomorrow.”

“Scotty’s supposed to take Hikaru out driving tomorrow isn’t he, to get ready for his test? I’ll have them drop him off while they’re out.”

“Good,” Bones said, and with that he excused himself.

\---

Jim was much more nervous than he should've been getting ready for his date that Friday night. It wasn't as though he were out of practice. He'd been on his fair share of disastrous first dates since the divorce, certainly more than Bones had. But he'd mostly been chasing after divorcees the soccer moms paired him up with. This was the first time he had really taken the initiative and set up a date, and the first time he'd been out with a guy since his relationship with Bones had ended.

It was nothing serious. They were just meeting at a pub for drinks. He'd keep things casual. Maybe they'd just end up friends. He could certainly use some friends that weren't nosy housewives. 

Jim arrived at the bar a few minutes early, nervously wondering if he should order a drink ahead of time and fighting the urge to bail before his date arrived. 

"Excuse me, are you Jim Kirk?"

Jim could feel his nerves tense as he whirled around to discover a stranger behind him. He was a tall, thin man, with dark eyes and black hair cut into straight line bangs that would've been a terrible sight on anyone else. Somehow he made it work.

"I am," he said, wondering how convincingly he was masking his fear. "You must be Spock."

"Affirmative," he said, completely stoic. "May I join you?" He indicated the seat beside Jim.

"Be my guest."

As Spock took a seat, Jim noticed him set a notebook and pen beside him on the counter. 

"You some kind of writer?" he inquired.

"My profession does involve writing," Spock explained. "I am a professor of sociology. I research the intricacies of basic human interaction." 

"That sounds fascinating," Jim said, unashamed to put on his charm. 

"Indeed. I suppose it would be appropriate for me to ask what your profession is to follow up."

"Yeah," Jim laughed, uncertain if this was some sort of eccentric professor act he was trying out or just how Spock talked to everyone. Either way, it was hilarious. "That would be, as you say, appropriate."

"Well then, what is your occupation, Mr. Kirk?"

"Oh please, call me Jim," he said quickly. "As for work well I uh… I don't really have a job, so to speak…" Jim was regretting starting this line of conversation. He loved his kids, and he had no regret for spending all these years at home with them, but it was certainly hard to follow Spock's PhD in sociology by saying he was a stay at home dad.

"You are unemployed then?"

"Well, technically yes, I uh…" Jim resolved to confess to it. Any relationship that was going to last beyond a first date had to start with honesty, and Jim's crazy family situation was a crucial part of who he was. "I'm a stay at home dad."

"You were ashamed to admit that," Spock observed. 

"Well, I wouldn't say that--" Jim began, starting to get defensive.

"Why?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Why is that something you are ashamed of?"

"Oh," of the many directions Jim had imagined this conversation may go, Spock's cool minded analysis was not one he had foreseen. "Well… I guess it's just that many people think less of those who choose to focus completely on parenting rather than having a job. And stay at home dads get the worst of that."

"Well that is entirely illogical," Spock said.

Despite Spock's continued seriousness, Jim found great comfort in his words.

"Child care is a valuable contribution to society and to the functioning of the family unit," he continued. "I see no reason to be ashamed of holding such a role."

"Well… thank you," Jim said.

Spock seemed to sense the effect his words had had, and Jim thought for a brief moment he'd seen a hint of emotion cross his face. He quickly averted his eyes and began writing something in his notebook.

"Are you taking notes?" Jim laughed.

"I apologize," Spock said, "if it bothers you-"

"No, go ahead," Jim said, with a certain sense of awe. "It's just different. I've had quite a few strange first dates, but you are the first notetaker. First time for everything, I suppose."

"I often record those interactions which raise interesting questions so that I may research them further."

"I see."

Spock finished his note and looked up at Jim, taking him in as though he were a fascinating new subject of study. Jim was embarrassed by how oddly attractive he found this. 

"Although by social custom it is inappropriate to ask an acquaintance about their financial situation, I hope you may excuse the intrusion. I am curious. If you are not traditionally employed, what is your means of income?"

"Now there's a story," Jim said. At this point he was holding nothing back. And thus he launched into the story of his unique living situation, in which he, his ex husband, and their two sons lived together in a small farm house, the basement of which had been invaded years before by their friend from college. Then he went even further back, explaining the situation with Uhura and her late mother. It was a lot to share on a first date, and yet Spock listened with great interest, taking notes and asking questions as Jim went through it all. 

\---

"Yikes, is it ten thirty already?" Jim couldn't believe how quickly time had slipped away. "I've got to get home. Bones is working late tonight and I don't trust Hikaru and Scotty to get Pavel to bed at a reasonable hour."

"Of course," Spock said.

"Walk me to my car?" Jim asked.

"Do you need assistance locating your vehicle?"

"No," Jim chuckled. "No, it's just what people do."

"Alright."

Jim wasn't sure how to say goodbye to his date. Much as he would've loved to brave a goodnight kiss before they parted, he sensed Spock did not take easily to such physical affection. As they neared his car, he contented himself to take Spock's hand and give it a light squeeze. Even as he did this Jim could sense him tensing.

"Jim," Spock said, stopping in his tracks. He pulled his hand away. "I must be totally honest with you."

"Okay…" Jim answered nervously.

"The primary reason I created an account on that pairing app and agreed to meet with you was in the interest of my research."

"Oh…"

"I am studying the complexity of the arrangement commonly known as 'dating'," then reading Jim's disappointment, he added, "that is not to say I didn't enjoy myself. On the contrary, you made excellent company. And your unique situation will be a most interesting addition to my records."

Jim took this in, regarding Spock in much the same way he had him in the bar, as though he were an exciting new subject of study.

"Well…" Jim said after a while, cautiously taking Spock's hand again. "I don't suppose you would like to conduct  _ further research  _ with me?" 

Spock raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps."

"I can work with that," Jim said. 

"Goodnight, Jim."

"Goodnight Spock."

\---

That Monday, as Uhura tiredly made her way into the lecture hall, she considered for a moment daring to take a seat beside the attractive blonde girl her eyes had been drawn to from the very first day. The seat beside her was empty, and just a few bold steps would bring Uhura to her… 

After much internal debate she went for it, leaving a single seat between them for good measure. After all, the lecture hall was far from full and few people sat so close together.

"Interesting…" came a voice from below. 

Startled, Uhura turned her attention to the man at the front of the room. "I beg your pardon, Professor?"

"With such ample space there appears to be an unspoken rule against sitting directly beside your classmates," he glanced over at a young couple seated together. "Unless one is particularly intimate with a classmate they will leave at least one seat between them… Highly inefficient."

As the professor returned to shuffling his papers and preparing to start class, his students considered his comment. "You can count on Professor Spock to put you on blast like that," the girl beside Uhura laughed. Then with a smile she added, "I'm Christine, by the way."

"Uhura."

Before she could say anything further, Spock interrupted to start class. This came as a relief, as Uhura was certain she'd have made a fool of herself trying to make conversation with her attractive classmate in such a flustered state.

"Before we carry on with last week's unfinished lecture on Chapter 1 of your textbook," Spock began. "I will take time to share with you the findings of my recent research, as it may be pertinent to our earlier discussion of research procedure."

The class broke into laughter as Spock began to detail the events of his Friday night, in which he had, for research purposes, gone on a date with a man he'd matched with on tinder. Even Uhura, who had always respected the strange professor, and tried to distance herself from the incessant teasing he received from his students, was having trouble keeping a straight face. 

As he began to elaborate, however, it was another reason that kept her quiet. The longer her went on, the clearer it became that this mystery man Professor Spock was describing was none other than her very own father. Mortified, Uhura hid her eyes. She was certain the professor had no clue the connection his test subject had to his student, nor did any of her classmates, and she wanted to be careful to keep it that way.


	3. Professor Kirk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As his children approach college age, it comes time for Jim to fire up his resume and find an actual job.

"You need to get a job," Bones said bluntly as he took a seat across from Jim in the living room. He had just finished pestering the boys until they went off to bed. Though they were both really too old for such parenting, neither Jim nor Bones wanted to admit just how much they'd grown. This was precisely the point Bones was reluctantly trying to raise.

"I have a job," Jim informed him. 

"Your etsy shop does not count, and yes, I know you've made five hundred dollars off it!" Bones took the words right from Jim's mouth before he could speak up in protest.

"Well who will look after the kids?"

"Jim--"

"I'll have you know child care is a valuable--"

"Oh would you stop quoting that weirdo you met on tinder!" Bones snapped; in the three weeks since Jim had been on his date the good doctor had  heard more about Professor Spock, particularly about his failure to answer Jim's texts, than he could ever have wanted. 

"Jim, you are a great dad. Those boys are lucky to have you. But they're also growing up. Hikaru will be heading to college in two years, and lord knows Pavel won't be far behind. I told you they want him to skip the eighth grade and head right into high school?"

"You did." 

"And we could use the extra money once it gets time to pay those college tuition fees. I'm not a millionaire Jim, just a humble country doctor."

Defeated, Jim avoided Bones' eyes, leaning back in his chair and gazing out the dark window.

"You make the job search sound so easy. I mean, who's gonna hire me?"

"Oh for Christ's sake Jim, I have had enough of your self pity. You are a goddamn engineer! One of the best in your year at MIT and you damn well know that. You got hired by NASA before you'd even finished grad school! Surely you can find something to do with that impressive resume of yours."

"I am  _ not  _ going back to NASA," Jim said forcefully.

"You're still hung up on that?"

Here Bones struck a nerve. "I was supposed to pilot that mission!" Jim cried. "And they put me on fucking ground control!"

"Maybe because you  _ lied  _ on your medical forms!"

"Oh don't pretend you didn't help me do it!" 

As he hurled this final contention at Bones, Jim became very suddenly aware of the high volume he had reached. The boys were almost certainly still awake, and from their room just one floor above they would be able to hear them bickering. Uhura may even catch bits of their argument from her place in the attic. As always, it was concern for his kids that brought him back to his senses. He said nothing else, and a stiff silence passed between he and Bones as they both worked themselves down from the fight.

After a long while Bones rose from his seat, wandering into the dining room and returning a moment later with a printout. 

"Well, I thought this might be more agreeable," he said, and he dropped the papers onto Jim's lap.

Jim browsed the job listing:

 

_ Engineering Professor Needed _

_ Temporary position with possibility of permanent hire; must be prepared to start immediately  _

_ Education Required: MA of Engineering or comparable degree _

_ Teaching experience preferred but not required. _

 

"They're desperate too," Bones said as Jim read it over. "Apparently, their engineering professor just flat out left them. Some sort of dispute; I didn't get into all that. What I know is that they're gonna have to refund a ton of students if they don't get someone in to fill his classes soon, so they're scrambling to find someone to replace her."

"This is impossible," Jim muttered, and Bones took that as a good sign. He knew Jim could never resist an impossible challenge. "I've never taught a class in my life, and they expect me to just pick up these classes two weeks into the semester?"

"I suppose it's not the best place to start," Bones said, carefully laying a trap. "May be a bit too much for you--"

"Well…" Jim said, vaguely aware of Bones' tactics and frustrated by how well they were working. " _ I will think about it _ ," and seeing Bones' smug face he was careful to add, "but I'm not making promises," as he took the papers and headed up to bed. 

\---

"Well, Mr. Kirk, you certainly have the engineering background," the university administrator remarked as he reviewed Jim's resume. They were nearing the end of the interview, and he was now digging into Jim's past out of a more personal nosiness than any real, professional need. "Graduated top of your class at MIT, completed a masters in engineering, and it says here you worked for NASA?"

"Yes, for three years," Jim explained.

"If you don't mind my asking, what made you leave? Looks to me like you had a promising career ahead of you."

"Well, sir, I chose instead to raise my children," Jim said confidently, daring the administrator to make a remark on this.

"Your children?"

"I have two sons."

"I see. And what does their mother do?" Though he tried to pass it off as polite conversation it was obvious the administrator was quite perplexed, shocked even, by the prospect of a bright young engineer such as Jim abandoning his career to be a stay at home dad.

"Their  _ father _ ," Jim said, thoroughly enjoying how embarrassed the administrator was to have made such an assumption. "My ex husband, is an ER doctor."

"Oh, how nice!" He answered, awkwardly overcompensating for his error. "Well, before I let you go, I will tell you to expect a call back from us, Mr. Kirk. We are eager to see this position filled and you are certainly well qualified."

"I look forward to hearing from you," Jim said curtly, offering the man a handshake before making his departure.

The university truly must have been as desperate as Bones had heard, for Jim received a call that very afternoon informing him he was hired and asking if he could start on Monday. And thus in the course of a week Jim went from a stay at home dad with far too much free time on his hands to a university professor with three weeks worth of busy work made up by an underpaid TA to grade.

\---

Uhura had heard talk of Jim searching for a job and finding a promising opportunity at the university, but it wasn't until she found him hunched over the very same intro to engineering textbook she'd been hauling to and from class all semester that she made a connection between Jim's new job and the engineering professor who had disappeared after the first day of classes. As she watched him pour over the book Saturday night, she was tempted to slip up to her room and say nothing; she could leave him to learn by surprise on his first day that his own daughter would be one of his students. But, she knew well how overwhelming the new position would be to anyone tasked with filling it, and so she took pity on him. 

"So you're the poor bastard they've gotten to take over for Professor Pike," she laughed.

Jim looked up from his book, noticing her presence for the first time. "You were one of his students?"

"I'm in intro to engineering," she explained, taking a seat beside him at the dining room table. She indicated the book in front of him, "and I've spent the last three weeks writing chapter summaries of that while they scramble to find a replacement."

"You didn't tell me you were taking engineering," Jim said.

"You didn't ask," she answered simply. 

"I thought you were a communications major?"

"I have to take a math or science class as a part of my gen ed requirements," she explained. "My high school math teacher always wanted me to go into engineering. Said I had all the makings of a great engineer."

"Why didn't you?"

"I don't know… I just. I never really liked all that math and science stuff, I guess."

That was a lie. Uhura had a remarkable capacity in mathematics and science, and she found great pleasure in such work. She had long toyed with the idea of pursuing a career in a STEM field. Indeed, she'd been elected president of the modest STEM club her high school had boasted. Yet that position that should've foreshadowed a future in the sciences had in fact spoiled Uhura's interest in the field. Throughout her entire year long term as president of the STEM club, she had been tormented by unrelenting accusations that she was unqualified and had been given her position simply to give the majority white school positive PR. To Uhura's bitter opponent, it was much easier to spread such rumors than to accept that he'd lost his position to a more qualified black woman. This drama still fresh in her mind, Uhura had shied away from the engineering department when she arrived at college to find that, much like her high school STEM club, it was dominated by white men. 

"Shame," Jim said, sensing there was more to that story than Uhura was letting on. For tonight, however, he let the matter rest. "Could've made it a family business."

"I actually hadn't realized you had an engineering background," Uhura confessed. "I mean, I knew you did something in that vein, but mom never talked much about it, and then of course you took time off to raise your boys."

"I let it get away from me," Jim admitted. "And now I'm here reading this text book and hell, I don't remember half of this!"

"As long as you pretend you do they should take you semi-seriously," Uhura teased. "At least in intro. You'll be dead meat when you have to face those know it alls in the upper level classes though."

"Well that's encouraging," Jim muttered, throwing her a playfully frustrated looking as she rose from her seat.

"Good luck," Uhura called mockingly over her shoulder her she mounted the stairs. 

\---

The biology professor that had been tasked with showing Jim around campus on her lunch break concluded her tour in the break room, where she made immediately for the fridge and the leftover pasta she'd been thinking about since they started. As they entered the room Jim immediately froze, deaf to the professor's half hearted explanation of where they were as his eyes caught on the thin man seated in the corner.

"Ah, and here we have the elusive Professor Spock," the biology professor teased, noting Jim's stares. "Spock, have you met Jim Kirk? He's taking over for Pike in engineering."

With his usual stoicism, Spock said simply, "I believe I met Professor Kirk on a previous occasion."

"Well, seems you're settling in real quickly," the professor said, then returning to the task of microwaving her lunch.

"Indeed we have," Jim said, cautiously stepping towards the table where Spock sat with perfect posture, cradling a cup of black coffee in one hand. He took a seat across from him.

"Although you neglected to mention on that occasion that you had a background in engineering," Spock continued, studying Jim curiously.

"You didn't ask."

"Well, I've gotta run, Jim but--" began the biology professor, already making for the door.

"No worries," Jim told her, his attention still locked on the man before him. "I'm sure I can find my way back to my office without assistance."

Once she was gone, Spock continued his inquiries. 

"All that time spent talking about your family, yet you did not mention the career you put on hold for them. Why?"

Jim leaned in towards him and whispered with a smug smile, "That, professor, is a question I'd only answer on a second date." 

As Jim rose from his seat and took his leave, Spock followed him with his eyes, a quizzical look upon his face.


	4. Date Night

"Read the rest of Chapter four for Monday’s class,” Jim instructed his intro students as the clocked cued them to gather their belongings. “We’ll start off by discussing the Four-Quadrant Model and--” It was a lost cause. The few students who were still listening were also those that Jim could trust to have written the assignment down ahead of time, and he saw little point in taking up their time. “Alright, uh, enjoy your weekend…” he said, vaguely irritated by how quickly the class had dismissed itself. 

From across the room Uhura threw him a look of sympathy, averting her eyes just as soon as he noticed her. Still, Jim was pleased to see her acknowledging him at all. In the week he’d been teaching her Introduction to Engineering class Uhura had carried on acting as though she had never met Jim in her life. Not that he’d expected her to announce to her classmates her relationship to the new professor, but he had hoped she may at least speak to him. Thus far, she hadn’t said a word to him, aside from occasional questions and commentary in class discussions, and even that was directed more at the class as a whole than the professor. Regardless, Jim had begrudgingly respected Uhura’s desire to distance herself from him at school, and he did his best to treat her as he would any other student.

As the classroom emptied out Jim spotted a figure in the doorway: a tall, thin man waiting patiently for the few remaining students to make their exit. 

“If it isn’t Professor Spock,” Jim commented, packing up his books as Spock entered the room. 

“Good afternoon, Professor,” Spock said soberly. Since there brief interaction in the break room, Jim had not spoken with Spock all week. In fact, he had somewhat tried to avoid him, too nervous to confront Spock about his complete failure to answer his texts in the weeks since their first date. 

“Well, Spock,” Jim said cautiously. “You’re not the sort to make a pointless social call. Is there something I can do for you?”

“Indeed. I have come with an inquiry.”

“Alright. Let’s have it then.”

“I would like to know your availability this Saturday.”

“Well, I haven’t got any plans that can’t be rearranged. Just grading papers and looking after the kids. But the papers can wait and the kids can watch themselves at this age,” Jim explained. Then, mimicking Spock’s formal manner of speaking he added, “Is there a proposition with your inquiry?”

“Affirmative. If you are available, I would like to invite you to dine with me on Saturday. Tomorrow, that is.”

Jim smiled, his grin widening as he noticed the blush that came to Spock’s cheeks under his gaze.

“Are you asking me on a second date?”

“I suppose you may call it that, yes.”

“I would be delighted,” Jim said, quite clearly pleased with himself. Then he cleared his mind enough to think about the logistics for a moment. “Though, Hikaru passed his driver’s test this week and I told him he could have the car Saturday.” He frowned. “And Bones will be working so… I’m not sure I’ll have a way to get into town Saturday night…”

Spock considered this a moment. “If it is agreeable,” he said eventually. “We may ride together to the restaurant in my vehicle.”

“You don’t mind picking me up?”

Spock considered this, “If you are not otherwise able to attend the extra travel would be preferable to your absence.”

Jim marveled at how Spock managed to give such an in depth answer to a simple question.

“Okay, great,” he said with a hint of laughter. He grabbed a scrap piece of paper off a student’s desk and took a pen from his pocket. “This is my address here,” he said as he wrote. “What time were you thinking?”

“Is seven o’clock a suitable time?”

“Sure, that should work.” He handed the paper over, quite deliberately letting his hand linger as Spock reached for it. This action seemed to catch Spock’s attention, and Jim didn’t doubt that once he returned to his office he’d make a note of it for his research. He laughed a little at the thought of it. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, at last letting go of the paper. “Have a nice night, Professor.”

\---

“Hey, you got any plans tomorrow night?” Christine asked as she and Uhura packed up their bags after sociology that Friday. 

As is often the case in a college classroom, the seats the students of Professor Spock’s intro course had chosen in the first weeks became assigned places as the semester wore on, despite no formal seating arrangement. Uhura’s spot was the seat beside Christine she had chosen a few weeks back, and sitting next to each other three hours a week, the two had formed a casual friendship. They’d work together on group projects when the opportunity arose and exchange text messages about class notes or reading assignments. But before now, Christine had never offered to do anything with Uhura outside of school, and Uhura, struck hard with a crush on her new friend, had been too nervous to initiate anything herself.

“Not really, why?” Uhura answered cautiously, afraid to get her hopes up.

“There’s a few of us that like to hang around my dorm Saturday nights. We usually order pizza and just hang out, maybe watch a movie or something like that. You’re welcome to join if you want. I know you’re not always in the loop with that stuff, since you live off campus.”

This was very true, and Uhura was grateful beyond words that Christine had taken notice of it. She tried her best to play it off casually, but her enthusiasm bubbled over as she gave her answer.

“I’d love to! What time?” As soon as the words left her mouth Uhura was shuddering internally at the awkward eagerness of her tone. Christine seemed not to notice.

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe around six thirty? That’s when we usually order the pizza. Then people just wander in when they get hungry.”

“Okay,” Uhura said, more casual this time. “Just text me the address, I guess.”

“Working on it now,” Christine mumbled with eyes on her phone. “There!”

In her back pocket Uhura could feel her phone vibrate with the message received.

“I’ll see you then!” Christine said, letting her hand brush Uhura’s arm before she hurried off to whatever plans she had for her Friday night. Uhura couldn’t help but gaze after her as she went, her arm still tingling where Christine had touched her. 

\---

By the time she settled on a casual red blouse and pair of leggings, half of Uhura’s wardrobe was on the floor of her bedroom in the attic. There wasn’t any need for her to put thought into her outfit. From what Christine had told her the plan was just to laze around in her dorm watching movies and eating pizza. Still, the thought of seeing Christine outside of school gave her goosebumps, and she couldn’t help but overthink what she would wear to see her.

Once she’d chosen her outfit and made a half-hearted attempt to clean up the many discarded options that had come before, Uhura came down from the attic and sat in the living room beside Chekov and Scotty. The pair paid her little mind, engrossed in an intense game of Mario Kart. It had only just struck six thirty, and the drive to the university only took about fifteen minutes, so Uhura reasoned she would wait here a bit longer so as not to be too early.

As she sat waiting, scrolling through instagram and occasionally glancing up at the status of the race playing out on the TV, the doorbell rang. At first, Uhura did nothing. She sat quietly, hoping someone else would step up to answer it. When no one did, she turned to Scotty.

“Are you guys expecting someone?”

“No,” he answered, distracted.

“Well there’s somebody at the door--”

She was cut off as Chekov yelled what she assumed was a string of Russian curses, responding to Scotty’s pushing him out of first place in their game. Seeing that the pair of them were going to be of little help, she reluctantly got up and answered herself.

As soon as the door swung open, she instantly regretted being the responsible member of the trio in the living room.

“Professor Spock…”

“Miss Uhura?” As he gazed back at his student there was a genuine look of embarrassment on Spock’s face, a rare break from his usual stoicism. “Forgive me, I believe I may have the wrong address…” 

“Oh that’s for me!” Jim called, stumbling down the stairs with one shoe still untied. Uhura moved out of the way. “I see you two have met,” he said, sensing the tension between Uhura and Spock.

“Miss Uhura is a student in my introductory class this semester,” Spock said, quite clearly uncomfortable.

“Is she now?” Jim smirked. 

Thoroughly embarrassed by this situation, Uhura took the opportunity to leave.

“Well, uh, I was actually heading out,” she said, grabbing her keys off a nearby hook and stepping past Spock through the door. She could’ve won Olympic gold with the speed she had getting from the house to the car.

“Miss Uhura is your daughter?” Spock questioned.

“My eldest,” Jim explained, kneeling to tie his shoe as they spoke. “Just moved in a few weeks back--”

“After the death of her mother,” Spock finished. “Yes, you spoke of her at our last meeting. I had not realized until now that she is one of my students.”

“Neither had I,” Jim said. Finished with his shoe he straightened up and took a nice long look at the lingering traces of embarrassment on Spock’s face. “You ready yet?” He teased.

“I came fully prepared to depart. I was simply waiting for you--”

“Alright, alright,” Jim cut him off, rather enjoying Spock’s inability to take a joke. “Then let’s get going.” He turned towards the living room. "I'm leaving!"

Scotty and Chekov were too engrossed in their game to notice him.

"Scotty's in charge while I'm gone. There's leftovers in the fridge," he went on, then with a knowing glance at Spock added, "and uh, why don't you go on and burn the house down while I'm gone?"

"Okay!" Chekov answered, eyes glued to the television.

"Fascinating," Spock observed. "The game appears quite simple, requiring only moderate concentration, and yet the impressive show of sound and color makes it most distracting."

"I'm not sure I'd put all the blame on the video game," Jim commented. "I think there's some user error at play as well." But at the present moment, this ignorance was the least of Jim’s concerns. He held the door open and gestured for Spock to exit. “After you."

\---

Christine was quick to come get the door when Uhura texted to let her know she had arrived outside her building. 

"Come on in!" She said, holding the door open. "We staked a claim on the common room early this evening so we won't have to all cram into my dorm."

"Sounds great."

"You've met my roommate Janice, right?" Christine asked as they arrived in the common room. 

"Yes," Uhura said, giving a shy wave to the girl in question, who lounged in a bean bag chair looking at her phone.

"Hey Uhura," Janice greeted. "You any good at cards?"

"I can play spoons…" she offered. Evidently this gave Janice a victory in an argument begun before Uhura had arrived.

"See, I told you Christine, everyone knows how to play spoons!"

"Okay, okay…" Christine laughed. "After pizza I'll let you guys teach me."

An hour later, after an episode of “Law and Order” and a feast of pizza and cheese bread, the three girls sat in a circle on the floor of the common room and began their game of cards, using a plastic fork and knife scavenged from the bottom of the Domino’s bag to substitute for spoons. A playlist Janice had thrown together played in the background, and as they played the trio joked about school and complained about life and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company.

It was about two hours into the hang out that a fourth person showed up. By the time he arrived, the game of spoons had been abandoned, and Janice sat playing solitaire on the floor while Uhura and Christine tried to decide what to put on TV. Before she could notice him he came behind Christine and covered her eyes.

“Guess who?”

“Roger?” Christine laughed, pulling his hands away.

In response the young man, evidently her boyfriend, leaned over the sofa and kissed her.

“I thought you were working tonight,” she said, moving over to make room for him on the sofa.

“Things were slow so they let me off early. Thought I’d swing by and see what you ladies were up to,” he explained. It was then that his eyes traveled to Uhura. “I don’t believe we’ve met…”

“Oh, right, sorry!” Christine exclaimed. “This is Uhura. We have sociology together. Uhura, this is Roger, my boyfriend.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Roger said, offering her a weak handshake.

“Uh yeah, you too,” Uhura replied distantly, her cheeks hot with embarrassment. 

She couldn’t figure why it upset her so much to see Roger there and learn that Christine was seeing someone. She had always had suspicions she may already be taken, and she had known when Christine invited her over that night it was merely as a friend. Still, watching Christine settle comfortably into Roger’s arms as he took up a seat beside her on the sofa made Uhura’s heart sink. 

“Another episode of SVU?”

It took Uhura a moment to come back to her senses and realize Christine was talking to her. She blinked a few times. “Oh, uh, sure. Sounds great.”

\---

Spock had upped his game this time around, and took Jim out to a casual sit-down restaurant rather than a bar. Although he carried with him that same leather bound notebook in which he’d recorded their first encounter.

“Conducting further research?” Jim asked as Spock scanned the menu. There was a certain nervousness about him and Jim could tell he was trying hard to hide it.

“Only if it would not bother you…” Spock answered cautiously.

“It doesn’t bother me." Then, finished choosing his order, Jim set the menu down and leaned back in his chair. “But I tell you what. This time around, it’s a two way street.”

Spock looked at him curiously, “I do not understand your meaning.”

“Typically, on a date, both parties share a little bit about themselves. The whole time we were out last time around you hardly said two words about yourself.”

“And how do you propose to remedy this problem?”

“For every question I answer, I’d like to ask one of you.”

Spock considered this. 

“Very well,” he said eventually. “Would you like to begin?”

“Let’s order first,” Jim said, catching the waitress’s gaze and calling her over.

“Ready to order?” asked the spritely young woman serving them.

Jim looked at Spock, asking a question with his eyes.

“Yes,” Spock answered her, setting his menu down. Jim smiled to himself as he did so. The entire time he’d been holding the menu Jim had never once noticed Spock turn the page, and he was willing to bet he’d come into the restaurant with his order already in mind. Jim wondered about the thought process behind his fake reading of the menu. No doubt if pressed Spock would offer an entirely logical explanation, but Jim suspected it was nothing more than an excuse to hide his eyes as he recovered from a bout of nerves.

Once they’d finished ordering and cleared the table of menus, Spock resumed their previous conversation as though they’d never been interrupted. 

“It seems appropriate that you should be the first to ask a question. Since, as you say, I said very little about myself at our last meeting.”

“Alright,” Jim said, his question already prepared. “Why didn’t you text me back?”

“After our first date?” Spock clarified.

“Yes.”

“Well… I had initially thought I had sufficient data to continue my research independently.”

Jim looked at him in astonishment. He was still getting used to Spock’s remarkable ability to explain away matters of emotion with cold, unfeeling logic.

“Oh…”

Jim was busy trying to translate this into human terms in his mind.

“It is my turn,” Spock reminded him. He opened his notebook. “Why, at our previous meeting, did you neglect to mention the career you pursued prior to adopting your sons?”

As Spock uncapped his pen the waitress arrived at their table with the drinks they had ordered.

“Good timing,” Jim muttered, taking a heavy gulp from the beer she set in front of him. Then he let his eyes sink to the floor as he answered. “I don’t like to talk about it,” he said simply.

“Why is that?”

“That’s two questions.”

“You may ask a second on your next turn to compensate.”

“Alright, I guess that’s fair…” Jim trailed off, trying to find an answer that wasn’t too terribly revealing of his insecurities. “It’s not a pleasant memory,” he said finally. “I often consider it my greatest failure.”

Spock made note of that in his journal. Once finished he gazed back at Jim with a questioning look, silently asking if he’d be willing to elaborate.

“I studied aerospace engineering in school,” Jim reluctantly explained, downing another draft of his beer before he continued. “I wanted to work for NASA, have them send me into space. I had these big dreams of leading the first manned mission to mars. And I was on the right track. Graduated top of my class at MIT, got my masters in engineering, and before I knew it I had landed a spot in NASA’s astronaut training program. I excelled there too; finished my training at lightning speed, and was about to be sent on my first mission. It was just a routine trip, shuttling a few of us up to the ISS, but I’d been selected as pilot and I was damn proud of it.” A faint smile crossed Jim’s lips as he remembered those years of success, replaced moments later by a bitter frown. “But, there was one small problem. In order to get the all clear to travel into space, you had to be in perfect health. There was a routine medical exam we had to go through to confirm that we were all fit to go. They’d given us a similar exam when we entered the training program, and well… I uh, I made a few changes on my medical forms. At that time I had just married my ex-husband, the doctor, and he helped me get away with it. It was a minor thing really. It shouldn’t have held me back. But NASA follows their damn regulations to the letter. When they gave me the second examination, three weeks before we were scheduled to launch, they caught it. I gave them one hell of a fight, but they refused to clear me for the mission. Instead I got stuck working ground control. A year later I quit to raise my sons.”

Sensing the emotion in his voice, Spock refrained from taking notes as Jim spoke, instead giving him his full attention. Although Jim didn’t doubt he had been doing some mental note taking at the same time, and would write his findings out later. Most would’ve been bothered by this habit Spock had of treating his date as an object of study, but Jim didn’t mind, he suspected Spock did this simply because it was the only way he knew how to approach a situation.

“What was the ailment that held you back?” Spock asked after a long silence.

Jim gave a bitter chuckle. “My eyes,” he explained. “I’m allergic to most of the name brand contact lenses, and with the ones I can wear, I still don’t meet the 20/20 mark. Not by much, but enough that NASA won’t trust me to pilot a spacecraft.”

“Well, that is hardly your fault,” Spock commented. 

“In a way, that makes it worse. There’s no one to blame for it. It was simply the luck of the draw, and there’s nothing I could’ve done to change it.”

“I’m sorry, Jim.”

“It’s not your fault, is it?” Jim teased, trying to lighten the mood.

“Would you still like to ask a question of me?”

"Two questions,” Jim reminded him with a smirk. “Hell, I ought to get three questions for throwing in that long backstory.”

“Very well.”

A certain confidence returning to him, Jim leaned back in his chair. “What made you change your mind and ask me out a second time?” he asked.

“Upon encountering you at the University I realized I may have been in error when I assumed one meeting would be sufficient.”

Jim frowned, much as he tried to be patient with Spock’s strange way of expressing himself, there was a part of him that was beginning to wonder if his interest in him truly was nothing more than academic.

“I quite enjoy your company, Jim,” Spock said as though he’d read his thoughts. “Indeed, I enjoy it much more than I had expected to. I must confess, it caught me off guard. This was also reason for my failure to answer.”

“It frightened you,” Jim observed, reading Spock’s face. “How much you enjoyed my company.”

“Well…” Spock said, only slightly offended by the implication he may have such an illogical fear. “I wouldn’t say that. I was simply unprepared.” This was a lie, and both men knew it.

“Why?” Jim asked, completely ignoring what he’d said before.

“Why what?”

“Why did it frighten you?”

Spock took a deep breath, beginning to get a bit annoyed with his date’s prying questions, but, to his credit, he gave what seemed to be an honest answer. “I prefer to avoid emotional attachments. I do not enjoy the pain and distress which often accompanies them.”

“So much that you’d rather be alone?”

Before Spock could answer, the waitress arrived with their orders, and the conversation died there.

Throughout the rest of the evening, Spock and Jim avoided their earlier discussion like the plague, instead making shallow small talk that neither of them particularly enjoyed. They rushed through their meal, both eager for a change of scenery, and things were looking pretty bleak by the time they made it back to Spock’s car.

"Shall I take you home?” Spock asked.

Jim ignored him, distracted by something he’d seen in the backseat as they settled into the car.

“Is that a chess set?” 

Spock followed his gaze to the flat wooden box neatly stacked atop a set of textbooks in his backseat.

“Yes.”

“Do you play?”

“Yes.”

Jim looked back at him with a smug expression. “Are you any good?”

“That depends on to whom I am compared,” Spock said. Then, matching Jim’s expression, he added, “Playing against you I am sure I would be quite excellent, comparatively speaking.”

“Oh really?” Jim laughed. “Alright then, why don’t you prove it?”

“Now?”

“Yes, now.”

“This is not a suitable location for playing chess."

“Then we’ll find a more _suitable_ location,” Jim mocked.

\---

In Spock’s nearby apartment, over glasses of whiskey and a piece of cheesecake Jim had brought back from the restaurant, he and Spock played chess late into the night.

“Checkmate,” Jim said, taking a sip from his glass and giving a childish pout when he realized it was empty. Jim had long since lost track of how many games they had played, as well as how many drinks he’d finished and exactly what the time was.

“Incorrect,” Spock said, refilling Jim’s glass. “You have a habit of calling checkmate when in fact you have achieved only a check.” He confidently maneuvered his King away from Jim’s threat.

Jim studied the chess board intently, and Spock, assuming he was far too drunk to be a worthy opponent this game, took the opportunity to let his mind rest. “One more loss and you forfeit your lead,” he reminded Jim.  “You’d leave us in a tie--”

“Checkmate.”

“Incorr--” Spock stopped midspeech, staring at the board in awe.

Jim laughed profusely at the irritation that blossomed on his face. “What was that you were saying?” he teased. In his fit of laughter, he leaned over the table, letting his fist fall hard against the chess board and knocking several pieces to the floor.

Spock immediately jumped up to retrieve them, and though a bit slower, Jim wasn’t too far behind him, crouching on the ground to clean up the mess.

“Sorry,” he said, still laughing a bit.

“There appears to be no harm done,” Spock assured him, setting a handful of pieces on the table. 

A single piece remained on the floor once Jim had returned his own collection to the table, and Spock knelt to retrieve it. Emboldened considerably by the excess of alcohol in his bloodstream, Jim mirrored him, and before Spock could take hold of the white pawn on the ground before them, he seized his hand. Spock raised his eyes to meet Jim’s, giving him a characteristic rise of one eyebrow.

Before he had a chance to lose his nerve Jim leaned in and kissed him. Caught off guard, Spock did nothing to reciprocate, nor did he make any effort to move away. Jim quickly drew away, embarrassed and worried he’d crossed a line.

“Sorry, I just…” he trailed off, letting go of Spock’s hand.

Free from Jim’s grip, Spock proceeded to pick up the chess piece and return it to the table as he’d intended. Then, standing up straight, he gazed down at Jim, who still crouched awkwardly on the ground, avoiding Spock’s eyes and trying to reason how to get himself out of the awkward situation. Before he could begin any such attempt, Spock spoke up.

“I do believe this would be much easier if you were standing, Jim,” he said, offering a hand to help him up.

Confused, and wary not to get his hopes up, Jim cautiously accepted Spock’s hand, and once back on his feet, kept his distance. Much to his surprise, and his delight, Spock moved almost immediately to close that distance, resting one hand on Jim’s upper arm as he tentatively kissed him. The kiss was brief; Spock’s lips just barely brushed Jim’s own before he drew away and gazed a question into his eyes. That was invitation enough for Jim.

Taking Spock again by the hand Jim dragged him over to the sofa, where they took only a moment to settled beside each other before a certain magnetism pulled their lips back together.

Jim let his hands journey over Spock’s back and up to his shoulders gradually pulling him closer.  Spock made similar movements, drawing a hand up Jim’s arm and settling it on the back of his neck. Jim could tell by his clumsiness and his awkward reaction as their kiss deepened that the odd professor was rather inexperienced in these matters. Still, Spock did not draw away. He seemed more than willing to learn from this encounter, and Jim was impressed by how quickly he caught on. 

\---

As midnight drew near things were winding down in the common room of Christine’s dorm building, and Uhura decided it was time to excuse herself. Janice had fallen asleep curled up in a bean bag chair, and still nestled close to Roger, Christine didn’t seem to be far behind her.

“I should probably get going,” she said as the credits rolled for the mediocre rom-com they’d turned on a while back.

“Aww, so soon?” Christine said through a yawn.

Uhura’s heart fluttered at the sound of genuine disappointment in her voice, at the thought that Christine would miss her once she was gone, and for a moment it was all she could think about. Roger’s presence, however, quickly brought her back to reality.

“It’s nearly midnight,” she reminded Christine. “And unlike you all, I have to be awake to drive home.” She looked over at Janice asleep on the bean bag with a playful smile.

Christine frowned, sitting up and running a hand through her hair. “Right,” she said. “Well, at least let me walk you out.”

“Oh, that’s alright, I’m sure I can make it back to my car just fine.”

“No, no--let me walk with you,” Christine insisted. “I want to be sure you make it to your car and don’t get stopped by some of those drunk morons from the third floor.”

Though she made her half hearted protest, Uhura was quite content with the idea of Christine walking her out, and It didn’t take much further prompting for her to agree. “Well, I’m sure I could take them,” she teased. “But I wouldn’t mind having back up.”

When they arrived at the door, Uhura mumbled a half-hearted goodbye and quickly made to exit, her nerves getting the better of her. Christine, however, had other plans.

“Hey,” she said, moving to block Uhura’s path. “I’m glad you came tonight.”

Uhura, victim of a classic school girl crush, was struck speechless by these words. She prayed to a god she only half believed in that Christine didn’t read too much into the dumbstruck look she gave her in that moment.

“Me too…” she said eventually. “I mean, I’m glad you invited me, I had a really great time, and I uh...” She wasn’t entirely sure where her sentence was going.

Sensing her nervousness, Christine laid a reassuring hand on Uhura’s arm. “I’ll see you Monday, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, Monday…”

Yet again Uhura trailed off, this time because she was being pulled into a warm hug. It was a most pleasant way to be cut off, and Uhura let herself enjoy it. She leaned in close, taking in the mingled scents of Christine’s lavender perfume and coconut shampoo, and the soft brush of her blonde curls against her cheek. And it was then, remarkably, that a sense of confidence returned to her.

“Thanks for inviting me, Christine,” she said into the hug, drawing back a moment later. “I had a great time.”

“Same time next week?"

“It’s a date.”

\---

Jim was rather disoriented as his eyes fluttered open and fell upon a sideways view of an unfamiliar apartment, and it was at least ten seconds before he recalled the events of the evening. It took ten more before he became aware of the person he’d so clumsily fallen asleep atop of.

“Must’ve dozed off,” he chuckled, turning to look at Spock, still nestled in the crook of his elbow. “How long was I out?”

“Approximately twenty-seven minutes,” Spock answered matter-of-factly.

“And you’ve just been sitting here that whole time?”

“I did not wish to disturb you.”

Jim smiled, a certain pleasure in the thought of Spock sitting there patiently watching him sleep.

They were still on the sofa, Spock seated comfortably in the corner with Jim lazily lying across his lap. As they’d sat kissing each other on the sofa Jim had gotten the sense Spock didn’t want to take things much further, and so after a while he had drawn away, resting his head in Spock’s arms and simply enjoying the feeling of being close together. Evidently, he had fallen asleep not long after this. 

“What time is it?” Jim asked a while later, though he didn’t really want to know the answer. He knew it would be late enough that he should be getting home, much as he wanted to stay right where he was for the rest of the night.

“Twelve thirteen,” Spock informed him.

“That late?”

Honestly Jim was surprised it wasn’t any later.

“It would seem so,” Spock said, and anticipating Jim’s next question he asked, “Would you like for me to drive you home?”

“If you don’t mind…”

“I do not.”

\---

As they arrived in front of Jim’s house, Spock was utterly silent. From the look on his face Jim sensed he was unsure of the proper thing to say in this situation, and was considering his options before speaking up.

“So what do you think, Professor?” Jim said before he could finish his thought process. “Will further _research_ be necessary.”

“I believe that would be quite beneficial,” Spock replied.

Jim chuckled, moving to open the door and leave their encounter at that, when Spock said something unexpected.

“And research aside, Jim, I have quite enjoyed my time with you. I would very much like to see you again. Outside of the workplace, that is.”

Jim let his hand fall from the door handle, turning back to look Spock in the eyes. “I would like that too,” he said.

And at that, Spock leaned in close enough to allow Jim the goodbye kiss he knew quite well he desired.


End file.
